Wolf's Rain: Paradise Seekers
by salsadragon
Summary: The wolves lived in Paradise for years after Darcia's defeat. But humans found their way into their home and turned it into cities and streets once again, plucking the lunar flowers one by one. Now, the fate of the wolves lies in the paws of one young canine.
1. Prologue

I own none of the original characters from Wolf's Rain. They © BONES

I do own Kira and the plotline

Prologue

Five wolves trekked through a thick blizzard, the snow numbing their feet with every paw step. The weather had been getting worse and worse with every passing minute.

A muscular gray wolf with an 'x' shaped scar on his lighter gray chest grumbled and lowered his head, trying to shield his eyes from the fierce snow. "I don't see why we're still moving. We can't see anything; how do you know where you're going?"

He looked up at a white figure leading the group. It was almost like watching a ghost with the way the white wolf blended in with the blizzard. Without glancing back, the wolf responded calmly, "I don't, Tsume." The gray wolf growled and was about to snap a retort, but the white wolf spoke again. "But Cheza does."

A smaller light brown wolf with a darker back whimpered. "K-Kiba…" It said, teeth chattering. "What do you mean, 'Cheza knows the way?' She's gone!"

Kiba stopped and looked up at the sky. "Her body may be gone, but her spirit is still with us. It is still with every wolf; calling them towards the new Paradise. Our Paradise." He looked back at the other four. "Can you not feel her?"

"I don't know about you, Kiba, but I'm frozen to the bone! I can't feel a thing!" Said a chubby brown wolf with a light brown face and a darker brown body. He had a dark brown collar around his neck with a strange carving etched in the front.

Tsume snorted. "If Cheza's really trying to lead us, you must not be listening very well. We've found dozens of black eared wolves, and all of them ended up getting killed because of their own stupidity! Who's to say the next one we find won't end up the same? And what if this so called 'prophecy' is just a rumor like everyone else says?"

A sleek dark gray wolf with tinges of blue in her fur spoke up. "Tsume… Kiba found Paradise before, now he can help lead us to it again. Put your trust in him, and I'm sure everything will turn out okay."

The white wolf looked at the dark wolf. "Thank you, Blue." Kiba mumbled quietly. He then turned his attention back towards the sky. The snow wasn't falling nearly as hard now, and the wolves were able to see again.

"Ah, finally!" The pudgy wolf with the collar said, wagging his tail and ruffling his fur.

"I'm starting to feel my pads again!" The pup said happily.

Tsume suddenly looked up. "Hige, Toboe, hush!" He said. His ears were tilted forwards, facing a lush forest off to the West.

Kiba frowned and flattened his ears. "What's the matter?"

"…I thought I heard something in the woods over there." Tsume responded with a growl. The rest of the wolves turned their heads to the forest, where after a few moments, they all heard a quiet rustling from a bush.

A light gray, matted old wolf came from the brush. His left ear was torn, and his legs were severely scarred. "So…" His voice was hoarse. "I hear you five are looking for the wolf of the prophecy." He gave a cackling laugh. "Do you know how many wolves have passed here looking for it? Too many!"

"So you don't believe the prophecy is real?" Kiba asked calmly.

"Of course I do!" The old dog yipped. "I just don't want to go looking for this wolf. I'm old and beat up and wouldn't last the trip." Tsume quietly murmured something to himself, but the old wolf simply ignored the comment. "Even when the white wolf of the prophecy is in front of me, I still wish to stay and let things run their course." He stared hard at Kiba. "'The white wolf shall open the way to Paradise, and the black eared wolf shall lead the rest home.' Do you think you can open the gates again to our Paradise?"

Kiba watched the old wolf's blue eyes and became lost in thought. Thinking of when they were ageless back in Paradise, and how the humans destroyed it and made it a hell hole again. There wasn't a shred of the old Paradise left. Once the last Lunar Flower was plucked, the wolves started growing old once more.

He snapped back to reality and shook his head. "We will open the gates of Paradise." He raised his tail. "And we will find the wolf of the prophecy and protect our home no matter what."

The matted gray wolf laughed loudly. "Now, that's what I like to hear!" He said enthusiastically.

"Do you know if there are any wolves in the next city?" Hige asked.

"Son, there's at least a dozen wolves in every city you go to. You've just got to keep a sharp eye out for 'em." The old wolf said, blinking.

Kiba nodded. "We need to take our leave before the snow picks up again." He dipped his head, then plodded away to the North, the rest of the wolves following. The gray canine watched them go, then limped back to the forest.

Tsume growled. "There's something weird about him." He said.

Toboe looked up at the gray wolf. "He was just an old man. What's so creepy about that?" Tsume didn't respond. Toboe whined and flattened his ears, then concentrated on following Kiba again.

From above, a large crow was circling the dogs. It watched them walk with its beady black eyes, then cawed and flew off to the Northeast.

About three hours later, it arrived at a large dark colored mansion. It perched itself on a balcony and squawked multiple times, until a man dressed in a deep purple robe stepped out. Without saying a word, the man raised his arm, allowing the bird to hop onto it and ride as the mysterious man walked inside down many flights of stairs.

They reached the basement, where a pool of black water swirled slowly in the center of the room. He set the bird down on the floor, and it jumped clumsily over to the water. It stuck its beak into the spiraling current, and it screeched a few times, then went calm, its breathing becoming shallow as well.

The man watched as the water swirled faster and faster, until it turned white and showed six wolves sitting in the snow; five of them on one side and one on the other. They were talking to each other, but the only time they could understand anything was when the lone wolf spoke.

"So… I hear you five are looking for the wolf of the prophecy." He laughed. "Do you know how many wolves have passed through here looking for it? Too many!" Pause. "Of course I do! I just don't want to go looking for this wolf. I'm old and beat up and wouldn't even last the trip." Pause. "Even when the white wolf of the prophecy is in front of me, I still wish to stay and let things run their course." The man's eyes became wide, and he held his breath. "'The white wolf shall open the way to Paradise, and the black eared wolf shall lead the rest home.' Do you think you can open the gates again to our Paradise?"

The man slammed his fist down and didn't listen to the rest. He yanked the bird out of the pool, firmly holding the creature and pulling a small black device off of the side of its head. Throwing the bird away towards the wall, he examined a tiny clock on the black machinery. "Three hours ago…" He mumbled, then groaned and screamed, kicking his chair by the pool angrily.

"Sir Traciaz, is everything alright?" Came a voice. The man called Traciaz flipped around, where he saw his butler standing on the stairs.

"Oh, it's you." He said, rubbing his head. "No, everything is not okay. You need to bring Valrun on the video monitor immediately."

"But sir, I believe Valrun is in a very important meeting-"

"I don't give a damn about what he's doing! Get him on the line now!" Traciaz snapped.

"Y-yes sir." The butler bowed, then hustled up the stairs. Traciaz paced for a few minutes, until a man with black hair and deep green eyes appeared on the monitor in the basement. He didn't seem very pleased.

"Traciaz, you'd better have a good reason for interrupting my meeting." Valrun hissed.

"Oh, believe me, I do." Traciaz replied. He held his hands behind his back and stared at the screen. "My crow and wolf have found one of the wolves from their so called 'prophecy.'"

Valrun crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? That prophecy is nothing but a bunch of crap. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Ah, but you are wrong."

"Wrong?" Valrun yelled. "You yourself said that the wolves' prophecy was a hoax to make us humans scared!"

"We were both wrong." Traciaz said coldly. "My wolf feels the pull of Paradise as much as any other one of those fleabags. He met a white wolf and four others about three or four hours from here. He knew the white wolf had ties to Paradise; it's something every wolf supposedly knows."

Valrun threw his hands in the air and sighed. "Okay, so suppose this is true, then." He coughed. "What do you propose we do about it?"

"Destroy the wolves." Traciaz said bluntly. "If we don't, the human race is doomed."


	2. Chapter One: Kira

CHAPTER ONE: KIRA

I own none of the original characters from Wolf's Rain. They © BONES

I do own Kira and the plotline

I coughed as the haze from the town entered my lungs. "There you go, kid." A man said unenthusiastically from behind a food counter. He handed me a tiny, poorly wrapped burger and waved me along. I nodded in thanks, then quickly walked off to find a suitable place to eat.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I saw dirty fingerprints on the wrapping. _Yuck! _I thought. Sitting down at a public park table, I took the burger out and began eating. I cringed as the foul taste hit my tongue. _Oh well… I suppose it beats digging through dumpsters. Man, what I wouldn't give for a real meal! _Unhappily, I continued eating, nearly throwing up from every bite. Once it was gone, I groaned and laid my head down on the old wooden table and rested for a bit.

My ears perked up, however, when I heard two humans nearby talking. "Did you hear they plucked the last Lunar Flower a few months ago? It's hard to believe it's been twenty years since we've reclaimed every piece of this planet from those filthy dogs."

I lifted my head up, eyes getting wide. I glanced down at my hand, which was shaking as I squeezed the burger wrapper tight.

The other man smacked his friend's arm. "Shut up, you idiot!" He looked around with narrowed eyes. "You never know who – or what – might be listening." His gaze rested on my startled face, and I looked away as soon as his fierce blue eyes rested on my brown eyes. The two men walked away, and I stared after them until they were completely out of sight.

"Crap!" I said aloud, not caring who heard. I let go of the wrapper and darted into another part of the city, trying to find a way out.

The humans I passed gave me funny looks as I ran by; some even screamed in surprise. They obviously hadn't seen a large brown dog race through town before. I knew it was stupid to go around the place letting humans see my wolf form, but this was an emergency. The way that man looked at me… Well, let's just say I'm pretty sure he called the city's Wolf Detection Squad, or the dreaded WDS for short.

I skidded into a black alleyway, hiding behind an old, smelly dumpster. Hearing the screeching of cars outside and the shouts of humans, I whined and ducked down lower to the ground. "What did this wolf look like to you?" The WDS man asked.

"White shirt, khaki pants, brown hair, and brown eyes. You can't miss her." Said the man from before.

"And you're sure she's one of them?"

"Yeah." He shot a glare to the man that was with him. "When we were talking about Lunar Flowers, the expression on her face gave her away instantly."

Some other citizens came from everywhere to see what all the buzz was about. "What happened? Has a wolf been spotted? Where is it? What's going on?" Constant questions, and more and more people kept coming.

"Yes, there was a wolf sighting, but we don't know where it went. Do you have any information?" One of the WDS men asked.

"Well…" Said a woman. "I did see a rather large dog run past me a few minutes ago."

"What did it look like, and where was it going?"

"I think it was brown with a belly of the same color, only tinted orange. And it had black ears…" She said, then pointed towards the alley I was hiding in. "And it went that way."

"Thank you, ma'am." Said the officer. "Get your guns!" He shouted to his men, who nodded and ran to their trucks.

I nearly flew out of my fur when a voice came from behind me. "Hey, what are you doing?" It said.

Flipping around, I saw a teenage human boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. I revealed my fangs and growled angrily. But he just stood there, wide eyed and watching me. It took a few more seconds for me to realize that this was no boy, but a wolf! I blinked, and the next time I looked at him, he was a light brown wolf with a darker brown pattern on his back from his nose to his tail. He was also wearing a silver bracelet with four rings.

"What do you think you're doing here? Are you insane? They'll kill you!" I hissed.

"I could say the same thing to you!" The pup whimpered. "What did you do?"

"Hey, what was that?" Said one of the men from outside the alley.

Both wolves' heads shot upwards as the humans loaded their guns. "Keep quiet." One said.

I grunted in annoyance and searched frantically for an escape route. "Ah, damn it!" I saw that if I leapt onto the garbage dumpster and onto a windowsill, I could make it to the roof of a tall building next to me. "I hate heights!" I leapt onto the dumpster and looked at the brown wolf. "You might want to hide!"

The wolf whined and looked around, and when he didn't see any other option, he followed me up the wall. I looked down and growled, "Don't follow me!" But the wolf didn't listen. He continued scaling the wall, right on my tail.

I reached the peak of the building a few moments later, the young wolf behind. The shouts of angry men could be heard from below. The wolf stranger climbed up, and once he gained his balance on the roof, he just stared at me. Getting irritated, I snapped, "What are you staring at?"

"B-black ears!" He said.

My jaw opened in confusion, and I cocked my head to the side, giving him a confused glare. "Um… Not to be rude, but your point being…? If you don't have anything important to say, I'm going to leave!" I started running towards the opposite end of the building, ready to jump to the next roof.

"Wait!" The wolf shouted.

I stopped and snarled, "Spit it out, pup! In case you haven't noticed, I'm being chased by those crazy humans!"

"You could be the one!" He yelped.

"Excuse me?" I grumbled, lashing my tail.

"The wolf from the prophecy!"

My eyes went wide, and all the noise from around me vanished. "What… You mean…?"

"Hey, there's two of them!" A man broke the silence, bursting open the door that came from inside the building.

I snarled and backed up. Turning around, I saw that more men were arriving like ants at a picnic; they were even on the building I was planning on jumping to. They came from the ladders on the side of the building, through the door leading to inside, and there were trucks surrounding the place.

A vicious snarl suddenly came from the inside of the building. All of the men grew quiet and watched the door as silent screaming came from indoors. After a few minutes, a large, muscular gray wolf burst through the doorway, snapping and biting at anyone that got in its way. It stopped in front of the pup. He had a lighter gray chest, with an 'x' shaped battle scar below his neck. He stared hard at the brown wolf, then sighed. "Leave it to a runt to screw things up."

Then, three more wolves came from the building, knocking any human out of the way. One was a deep shade of bluish-gray, another was chubby, and had a light brown face with a darker body and a brown collar, and the last was a pure white wolf.

The chubby wolf ran up to me and grabbed my scruff. "And now, we take our leave." He said through a mouthful of my fur.

"Hey!" I yowled, thrashing. "Let go of me!" But it was useless. I hung like a pup from the wolf's mouth. The large gray wolf grabbed the wolf that followed me, and, with both of us, jumped across the roof to the next building.

They let us go and shouted, "Run!" Without even thinking, I jumped to my feet and dashed across the metal roof, my claws making a clanging noise as they struck the place. The humans started shooting; their bullets flying in every possible direction. But we managed to get far away enough, and soon were able to find a way down.

The men's shouting was distant now, but it was obvious they were starting up their trucks to come after us. The dark blue wolf looked at me with her icy eyes. "Do you know a way out of here?"

"Y-yeah, follow me!" I made a wide turn and darted towards the opposite end of town, the rest of the wolves right behind me. After a few minutes of listening to humans scream as we flew past, we reached the other end of the city, where a gate was the only thing that stood between us and freedom.

I ran up to the side of the gate to its control panel, and slammed my fist down on a red button. The gate made a cracking noise, then slowly swung open. As soon as it was wide enough for us to get through, we didn't hesitate to move as fast as we could away from that wretched human town.

We ran for what seemed like hours, but eventually, the smog of the town vanished, and I was able to breathe easily for the first time in years. We came to a halt, panting heavily from the long run.

Once I caught my breath, I walked over to the brown pup, who gulped and flattened his ears. "Now…" I wheezed. "What did you mean by calling me the prophecy wolf?"

"What?" Said the other brown canine. He studied me, then let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth. "Hey, good going, Toboe! You found one!"

The gray wolf scoffed. "This is the youngest wolf we've found yet! What's next, a newborn?"

"Give her a chance, Tsume! She could be the one, after all." Said the dark blue wolf.

"She's nothing but a pup!" The wolf called Tsume retorted. "How could she bring us to Paradise?

"What is going on?" I screamed. The wolves all turned to stare at me, their eyes wide. "You dragged me from my home and tell me I'm the prophecy wolf? If I don't get some sort of explanation in the next ten seconds, I swear-!"

"From what I saw, if we hadn't come along, those humans would have put so many bullets in you, there wouldn't have been a scrap of fur left from your hide." Tsume snapped.

"Hush, Tsume." Said the white wolf. "She does deserve to know why she's here." He walked up to me and pierced me with his stunning yellow eyes. "I don't know if I'm really feeling Paradise coming from you, or if it's just that I'm getting excited and hoping that you are the one." He lowered his head to my level of vision. "What is your name?"

My eyes widened and I stuttered. "K-Kira…" I managed to say.

He stood up tall and looked down at me. "Well then, Kira." He said. "You are going to help get Paradise back into the hands of the wolves."


	3. Chapter Two: High Expectations

CHAPTER TWO: HIGH EXPECTATIONS

I own none of the original characters from Wolf's Rain. They © BONES

I do own Kira, the plotline, and any other characters mentioned in the story.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute!" I said, shaking my head. "How do you know it's me you're looking for? There are hundreds of black eared wolves on this planet! I don't feel the tug of Paradise any more than any of you; I'm just a normal wolf."

"She's right, Kiba." Tsume huffed. "She's a pup; how could she possibly help?" I snorted at what he called me.

"Relax, Tsume." The blue wolf barked. "She has as much of a chance of being the Paradise wolf as the rest of the black eared canines out there. I think it's worth a shot."

Tsume thrashed his head in annoyance. "She's a _pup!" _He repeated.

"A pup that could lead us to Paradise!" Toboe whined. "At least let her try to help!"

"You're assuming I'm going to?" I asked, lashing my tail and sitting down.

Kiba blinked. "Do you have anything else to do, or anywhere else to go?" I flattened my ears and looked away. "It seems to me you have nothing to lose. So what do you say? Will you help?"

I sighed. "I… Suppose."

"Great!" Said the chubby wolf.

I thought I saw a twinkle of relief in Kiba's eyes as I agreed. "Good. Now… If you're going to be traveling with us, you'll need to know our names." He pointed to the gray wolf, then the chubby one, the other pup, then the deep blue canine, listing off their names as he went along the line. "That's Tsume, Hige, Toboe, and Blue." He then looked at me with bright yellow eyes. "And I'm Kiba."

I felt something harden in my chest as Kiba said his name, but I shook the feeling away. "But before we leave…" I swished my tail, ignoring the pang inside me. "Tell me how you found me and what you expect me to do."

Blue laid down, crossing her front paws. "We weren't looking for you, specifically." She said. "Ever since our part of Paradise was destroyed, we've been traveling all over looking for the prophecy wolf. And after the humans started building their new cities everywhere and wolves scattered across the world, disguising themselves as humans as we did before, we started searching the towns as well."

"We've found countless black eared wolves along the way to the town where we found you." Hige continued. "And each time, we hoped that they were the one. But…"

"Believing they could do anything, those idiot wolves got too full of themselves and ended up dying because of their own stupidity." Tsume said.

Kiba huffed and sat down. "It's been a while since we've seen another black eared wolf… And like I said, I thought there was a strange… Force around you that reminded me of Paradise. So we're hoping, that maybe… You'll be the one."

"You also said it could be because of your own excitement!" I whined.

"Yes, I did." Kiba replied. "But here's something I haven't said: You're different from the others."

"Different how?" I asked.

Kiba's left ear twitched. "I can't explain it."

The feeling inside kept getting worse and worse, until it became almost unbearable. I grunted and fell to the ground, rubbing my face with my paw.

Toboe cocked his head to the side and whimpered, "What's wrong?"

"Kiba…" I said, wincing. Looking up at him, my eyes went wide as I stared into his. "You're… You're not just an ordinary wolf looking for Paradise, are you?"

Kiba blinked, then sighed and sat down. "I don't like to think of myself as a special wolf. But I suppose some do…"

"I knew it!" I barked, flying to my feet, tail wagging. "You're the Paradise Seekers!" My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I coughed in embarrassment as the wolves stared at me, confused. "The White Wolf who opened the door to the wolves before is leading a pack to Paradise again!"

Tsume chuckled coldly. "Is that what they're calling us now?"

"Yes. Well-er… No… My mother did."

"You're mother?" Blue asked, tilting her head.

"She knew of us?" Kiba asked, lashing his tail. "Where is she?"

I flattened my ears and looked down at the ground. "She was… Gunned down a few years ago trying to find food for us."

Toboe whined. "I'm so sorry…"

Trying to stay positive, I perked my head up. "I-it was a while ago… I'm fine." I said.

A gust of wind whipped past my face, getting through my fur and chilling me to the bone. I shivered and yelped in surprise at the sudden coldness, as did some of the other wolves.

"Not again!" Hige complained. "We just got out of this crap a few days ago!"

"Quit whining." Tsume grumbled. "At least it's not snowing yet. Let's find shelter before it starts."

All of the wolves and I immediately agreed, and we started walking, leaving my home farther and farther behind.

Toboe padded up to me and sneezed. "If you don't mind me asking again…" He said. "What did you do back there?"

I growled. "Nothing. Two humans were talking about Paradise, I overheard and… They saw the horrified expression on my face when they said someone plucked the last Lunar Flower. So they assumed I was a wolf, and they were right… But still. I wasn't causing any harm!"

"You need to be cautious with the way you react when humans talk about wolves or Paradise." Tsume said bitterly. "One wrong move, and they'll blow you to bits with their gun toys."

After a few more minutes of walking, we reached a small group of tall rocks that stood way above our heads. One was like a mini-cavern, and after growling and snarling about stepping on each other, we were all able to fit and stay warm, the worst of the blizzard passing over us as we slept.


	4. Chapter Three: Nightmare

CHAPTER THREE: NIGHTMARE

I own none of the original characters from Wolf's Rain. They © BONES

I do own Kira, the plotline, and any other characters mentioned in the story.

I seemed to have just closed my eyes and went to sleep when I woke up again. Grumbling in annoyance, I stretched and yawned loudly. I stopped, however, when I realized there was no sound coming from my throat. I gulped and tried making a noise, but again: Nothing. "Toboe!" I tried shouting. "Kiba, Tsume, anybody!" The wolves in front of me slept soundly. It was like I wasn't even there.

Suddenly, Kiba and the others began getting fuzzy; as if they were disappearing. I yelped and tried clutching onto Toboe's tail, but I went right through him like a ghost. Yowling in fear, I continuously tried to grab the wolves and keep them from fading away, but it was no use. Sitting down in defeat, I whined and watched as my new friends turned black and wavy, then vanished altogether.

The cave around me then started becoming black. _What's going on? _I thought, flattening my ears and shaking violently. It was all going dark; the walls, the floor… Everything. I squeaked as I felt my tail fall. Looking behind me, I saw the blackness had swallowed my tail completely. Screeching and trying to pull it back, the darkness seemed to make a groaning sound and pulled harder in return. Unable to beat its strength, I was dragged in.

For a few moments, I couldn't breathe or see. There was black all around me; I was blind. But then, I was overwhelmed by a bright light, and I took in a deep lung full of air. When I adjusted to the brightness, in front of me I saw a man with his back turned, and a matted gray wolf by his side. The man was wearing a deep royal purple robe, black pants, and black shoes.

I lashed my tail and growled at the gray wolf. "Why are you protecting that human?" I said.

"He is my master." The wolf responded in a monotone voice.

"After they destroy Paradise and kill most of our kind, you bow down to those creatures?" I snarled. "What's wrong with you?"

"Why I do is only for me to know." He said. "Come. I must show you something." He started plodding off towards a white staircase.

"And why should I follow you?" I growled, curling my tail.

"I'm here to help you find Paradise." He replied, still walking. "Now come." My eyes went wide, and after hesitating a moment, I followed.

The wolf led me down numerous flights of stairs, until we reached a bottom room. There was a circular pool in the middle of the floor, swirling slowly. "Sit here." He said, pointing to the edge of the pool. I did, and he went to the opposite side and sat down.

He stuck his paw in the water, and it began spinning faster and faster, until the water became totally white. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but I decided not to as I saw five dark figures appear in the snow. I squinted, trying to see what they were. "That's… Toboe!" I said. "And Kiba, and Blue, and the rest of them.."

The gray wolf nodded. "You will be traveling with them to Paradise, and even beyond that."

I shifted my paws. "So… You're saying that I am the prophecy wolf?" I asked nervously.

"No." He said. "I don't know who the prophecy wolf is. If it were so easy to recognize this wolf, it would constantly be overwhelmed by different wolves, humans, and I'm sure other creatures as well. If you are, however, then you will be with those wolves the rest of your life."

"Talk about pressure…" I mumbled. I then became confused after remembering how Kiba had said he could feel Paradise flowing from me. I shifted my paws, whining quietly.

The wolf twitched his ear. "Something troubles you?"

I sighed. "It's just… This one wolf said he thought he could feel Paradise coming from me. But _you _just said that the prophecy wolf isn't easily recognized. What does that mean?"

"Each wolf has a piece of Paradise inside of them." He said. "It can be strong, or weak, depending on the wolf. You must have had strong ties to Paradise while you were there; am I correct?"

"I guess so…" I replied.

The entire room suddenly started shaking as a voice came from nowhere. I barked and adjusted my footing, trying not to lose my balance. _Kira? _It said; it was extremely familiar. _Kira! _It said again.

I recognized the voice after the second time. "That was Toboe!" She said looking around. Everything was starting to fade; the pool, the walls, the floor, even the wolf. I whined and flattened my ears, scared. "What's going on?"

"You're waking up." Said the old wolf.

"Waking… What?" I asked anxiously.

"You're dreaming." He hissed. "You're still asleep with the others."

"What? Then is all of the information you just told me fake?" I yowled.

He was becoming even more fuzzy. "No; it's all real."

"B-but how will I know what to do?"

"If you need help, sleep and come to me for answers." He said, his voice becoming wheezy. "Now wake up."

I jerked upwards and howled as I became blind again. Flipping around, staring and trying to find a light to run to, I heard the old wolf whisper. "Don't tell them…" He said. "…Not yet."

"Ah!" I screamed, jolting up and hitting my head on the cave ceiling. "Oww…" I complained, rubbing my head.

Toboe jumped backwards. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Taking in the surroundings, my heart began beating less rapidly when I realized where I was. "N-nothing; sorry… Just a nightmare." My tail was puffed up to almost twice its original size.

Tsume snorted and rolled his eyes. "Pups…" I swiveled my ear; ignoring his comment.

Kiba stood up from the back and stepped outside. "We need to get going." He said. "It's past sundown."

The snow was only falling lightly now, and it wasn't hard, icy flakes that hurt when they struck you. It was fluffy and soft, and felt like pieces of a cloud.

The rest of us stepped out as well, stretching and yawning and eating some of the snow to get a quick drink. "Everyone ready?" Hige asked, looking around. Without even saying, 'let's go', Kiba started walking off. I cocked my head to the side and followed, along with the rest of the group.

I tried staying calm as I plodded through the freshly fallen snow, because I was still a bit shaky from the dream. Toboe grabbed my tail and pulled me backwards, letting the group get in front of us a little ways. I yipped a bit as my tail stung, and sat down with a huff. "What is it?"

The pup whined. "You sure you're okay? You're trembling…" He flattened his ears. "What was your nightmare, Kira?"

"Hey, runts! Get a move on!" Tsume shouted from ahead.

I growled and started walking. Toboe bit my tail again. "Kira!" He said through a mouthful of my fur, irritated.

Sighing, I turned my head around. "I'll tell you when we stop, okay?" She said, wanting to get moving.

"Okay…" Toboe said, disappointed. We ran up to the group again and plodded through the snow. Looking ahead, I gave an annoyed grunt as I saw I couldn't even see where the land ended and the sky started. _This is going to be a long trip… _


End file.
